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This season the Maryland Terrapins have been playing some substantially different basketball than they have at any point during the Mark Turgeon era. They are moving the ball better, they’re beating out of conference ranked teams, playing younger and faster, getting to the line, and ultimately look like a more complete team. But one player in particular has adjusted his game so substantially that it’s worth mentioning just how far he’s come.
The first two years of Jake Layman’s career were very up and down. His freshman year, Layman was brought in as an elite sharpshooter with solid length and a smooth stroke. The problem was that statistically Layman wasn’t actually very elite his freshman year, and it was clear he was still a little too raw to play substantial minutes as a freshman. For a sharpshooting freshman, Layman didn’t crack 40% from the floor or 30% from deep. He was a streaky jump shooter, plain and simple.
During his sophomore campaign many thought Layman looked in fantastic shape and seemed like a new player altogether physically. That was backed up by Layman’s hot start through 12 games: 14.5 points per game, seven games of shooting 40% or better from deep, and hitting 44% of his shots. Layman appeared to have figured it out.
But when conference play hit, Layman’s scoring numbers dipped to 9.7 points per game, he shot just under 37% on the year, and hit 32% of his threes. Again we entertained the notion that perhaps this sharpshooter was just an inefficient gunner in disguise. Once the competition stiffened, the NBA prospect version of Jake Layman hid in his shell, so to speak.
That was then, this is now.
Layman is still pummeling the out of conference schedule. He’s averaging 15.2 points per game, pulling down five rebounds per contest, and hitting 40% of his three pointers on the year. It’s got a very familiar feel to the way Layman has performed against out-of-conference opponents his entire career. But this time, he’s evolved; Jake Layman is not the same player that he was last year or at any point in his career.
How? In layman’s terms (pun intended), he’s just being more aggressive. The major complaint about Layman has always been that when his shot isn’t falling, he doesn’t do anything offensively on the court. This year, Layman has been ignoring his outside shot more and more in favor of utilizing the god-given athleticism he has to attack the basket. Finally.
Consider these five facts:
- Layman has attempted over 60% of the free throws he attempted all last year through the first 10 games of this season.
- Layman is on pace to take 96 three pointers this season through 10 games, the lowest total of his career (167 his sophomore year, 117 his freshman year).
- Layman is attempting fewer shots (8.6) than last year (9.8).
- Layman’s Player Efficiency Rating is higher now than it ever was (25.7 this year, 16.0 last year, and 12.8 his freshman year).
- Layman already has just under 2/3 of the assists he had all last year (19 this year, 30 last year).
This has everything to do, of course, with free throws and passing. When Layman attacks the basket, the offensive end of the floor is his. When a player can hit from deep, a defense will instinctively press harder on the perimeter and get a hand in said shooter’s face. When a player attacks the basket a lot, a defense will adjust and fill the lane while sliding early help over. When a player knows how to pass out of solid defense and not force shots or draw contact when he does drive in, it’s almost impossible to negate his effectiveness.
Layman has realized that driving more and drawing contact is important because even if you don’t get the call every time, you will still get foul calls more often than you would just chucking shots from deep or shooting inefficient midrange jumpers. When his shot isn’t falling in the first half, Layman now adjusts his game and draws fouls for easy points. With his length, he’ll either shoot over guys covering him at the three or go around them when he plays the four against slower, bigger guys. Either way he draws contact and scores more efficiently.
Another important thing he’s doing is passing out of bad shots. Counting the number of poor, inefficient midrange shots Layman attempted his freshman and sophomore season is a headache-inducing exercise. He loved to shoot midrange jumpers off screens last year, but now he’s replacing those with passes to open cutters or shooters once the defense slides someone over to help out. The end result is finding more balance in the offense and getting others involved, which helps him in the end as things open up.
What’s important is that these adjustments Layman has been making are translatable. Drawing contact on drives is an art form that some get earlier than others, but it is absolutely translatable against tougher defenses. It’s why Layman was able to score 14 points against Virginia despite going 0-for-4 from deep. He didn’t need it because he got to the line and shot 6-of-8 from there.
If you can do it against Virginia, it’s doable against any defense. So while Layman is still dominating inferior competition right now, that type of domination is now sustainable against anyone. Being able to change the identity of your game up completely is impossible for some players, but Layman seems to have figured it out. For that, the golden haired kid deserves nothing but praise.
D.C. resident. Graduated from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia (four year letterman in hockey) and University of Maryland, College Park. Played three years of ice hockey at Maryland. Former writer for Washington Wizards blog (TheDCDime.com), current hockey coach at Gonzaga College Preparatory School. Terrapin nut. Editor of Terrapin Station.